Sageb chadwick



(No Model.) 8

S. GHADWIGK.

- LETTER GOPYING BOOK. No. 891,299. ggkxlatented 00t.- 16, 1-888.

ilNrTEp STATEs PATENT @rrrcs.

SAGER CHADWIGK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THE GHADW'ICK COPYING BOOK COMPANY,

OF TRENTON, NEW JERSEY.

LETTER-COPYING BOOK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 391,299, dated October 16, 1888.

(No model.)

To aZZ whom i1; may concern:

Be it known that I, SAGER Or-mpwrok, of the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Letter-Copying Books; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and 6X act description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 shows a plan view of my book laid open, the impervious sheets or pads used with it not being shown; Fig. 2, an end view of my book as ready for use, but closed; Fig. 3, a similar view of the same open, showing the manner of using the book when making a copy; and Fig. 4, a detail perspective view of the moisteningpad, reduced in size.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like parts in each of the figures.

My invention has reference to means for copying letters.

'Where it has been attempted heretofore to keep a number of the pages of a copying-book wet at a time and ready for use, such pages have in a short time become moldy and illsmelling, and the binding of the book has been acted upon and ruined by the moisture reaching it from the pages. Another difiiculty with most of the copying-books in which the leaves are kept wet ready for use has been that the moisture passing throughout and permeating the whole extent of the leaves or pages has made it difficult to separate such pages as are wanted for a copying operation. Often where the pages are quite damp it has been impossible to separate them without danger of tearing.

The object of my invention is to provide a copying-book free from all these objections, which shall not require either press, special ink, special paper, or abrush and water-bowl, in which any desired number of pages or leaves can be kept moist at once without danger of molding or deterioration or of injuriously affecting the binding, and in which any of the moist leaves can always be readily and quickly separated from the rest for use without delay, and without danger of .tearing.

\Vith these ends in view my invention consists, principally, in the book and the parts thereof arranged and combined, and having the nature and peculiarities, as hereinafterspecified, and more specifically pointed outin the claims.

It consists, further, in the method of treating and preparing the leaves or pages of the book, as hereinafter specified, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, A A designate the sheets or leaves-of my book, and B B the binding and covers thereof. Said sheets or leaves are made of any desired kind of light paper, and are treated with a substance which will enable them to absorb moisture readily. For such substance I contemplate using chloride of sodium, acetate of potash, chloride of calcium, orany other desired hygroscopic material. I also contemplate using glyeerine, either alone or in combination with either of the chemicals mentioned above. The sheets or leaves treated or saturated with any of said chemicals, or with the mixture of one of them with glycerinc, are in condition to absorb most easily any moisture applied to them, so that said moisture will be distributed evenly and thoroughly throughout the sheets. To prevent any possibility of mold or mildew when the sheets are wet, I treat them with an antiseptic as, for instance, biehloride of mercury or salicylic acid. Such antiseptic can be added to the solution of moisture-absorbent chemical before the sheets are saturated therewith, or the paper may be impregnated with the antiseptic after treatment with the moisture-absorbent.

As any moisture applied to the leaves ofthe book spreads in all directions, it is necessary to provide some means for keeping it away from the binding of the book, or from those portions of the leaves which are engaged and held by the binding devices. Such edges or portions of the leaves are therefore treated with a substance impervious to or non-absorbent of water. The moisture held by and saturating the rest of the sheet will not pass or affect the portion of the sheet treated with this substance, and so cannot reach and affect the binding and will not weaken the edge of the sheet or that portion engaged by the binding devices. The substance which I contemplate l'OO using for this purpose consists of beeswax,

parafine, and turpentine, preferably in the proportions of one ounce each of beeswax and paraffine and a halfpint of turpentine. The wax and paraffine are melted together and the turpentine is added, the mixture being keptin liquid condition for use.

I do not limit myself to this particular mixture for rendering portions of the sheets impervious to moisture. Other mixtures and substances can obviously be used for the same purpose without departure from this part of my invention.

To prevent the leaves when moist from sticking together, and to make them easily separable to turn them, as desired for use, I treat them at one or more places-as, for instance, at the corners a a'-with the substance impervious to moisture, so that such places or portions of the leaves will not become saturated with moisture, and so will not stick together or tear easily. The substance used may be applied to any desired parts of the leaves, either by brushing or printing it on the leaves, or by dipping said parts of the latter into the substance. .The back-of the book can be still further protected from moisture, if desired, by a strip or band, C, of rubber or other material impervious to moisture.

To properly moisten the leaves of my book and keep any desired number of the leaves moist and ready for use, I use a moisteningpad,D, consisting, preferably, of several sheets of blotting-paper sewed together, as shown at d in Fig. 4. This pad, after being moistened with water, is laid on an impervious pad, E, adapted to keep its moisture from being imparted to the leaves back of or beyond those desired to be moistened. The latter leaves (those to be'moistened) are then turnedand laid upon the moistening-pad and a second impervious or water-proof pad or sheet, F, is placed on top of them. The book is then closed, as shown in Fig. 2. In a short time all the leaves on top of the moistening-pad,prepared as they are,will absorb from the latter enough moisture to put them in proper condition for copying, and such moisture will be kept up and retained in them all for a long time,so that the book will be ready for use without further moistening. The parts treated with the substance impervious to moisture are notsaturated,like the other portions of the 1eaves,with the moisture from the pad, but remain substantially unaffected thereby.

In using my book for copying the book is opened and the page or leaf next to the pad F is by its unsaturated corner a (rendered impervious to moisture, as described) easily separated from the rest and lifted up. A third water-proof pad, G, is placed under the raised leaf and upon the saturated leaves below. The letter to be copied is then placed between the pad G and the leaf and the pad F is pressed down upon them. Without a press, if the hand or a piece of hard substance be passed over and pressed upon the pad F,'a clear and distinct copy of the letter will be taken in a very short time.

For each new page used the abovedescribed process is repeated.

As desired or found necessary, the moistening-pad can be removed and replaced farther back in the book to moistenadditional leaves.

I do not limit myself to any particular way of manipulating the letter to be copied and-the leaf and water-proof pads. If desired, of course the leaf can be turned over to rest upon the front pad, the letter be placed face down upon the leaf, and the second pad' be placed and pressed against the back of the letter.

There are several ways in which the copying can be done with my book, as described. As the leaves are already prepared and moistened, several copies of a letter can easily and quickly be taken in succession.

I do not limit myself to any particular absorbent or hygroscopic material for saturating the paper, nor to any particular kind of substance or compound for rendering portions of the sheets impervious to moisture. v

I contemplate making the moistening-pad of any fibrous material, as felt; but I prefer blotting-paper, as it acts well and is cheap.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. A copying-book having the inner parts of the leaves next the binding made impervious to mosture, substantially as and for the purpose shown. i

- 2. A copying-book the leaves of which are impregnated with an absorbent for moisture and have their inner parts at the binding treated with a substance adapted to make such parts impervious to moisture, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A copying-bo0k having its leaves treated with a moisture-absorbent substance-and also with an antiseptic, substantially as and for the purpose shown.

4. A copying-book in which the inner parts of the leaves at the binding and an outer corner of the leaves are treated with a substance impervious to moisture, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. A copying book the leaves of which are impregnated with an absorbent for moisture and an antiseptic to prevent mildew, and have their inner edges where they are bound treated with a substance impervious to moisture, substantially as and for the purpose described.

6. In combination with the copying-book having the parts of its leaves at the binding made impervious to moisture, the'moisteningpad and the two water-proof or impervious pads, substantially as and for the purpose specified. i

7. In combination with the copying-book having its leaves impregnated with a moisture absorbent and with an antiseptic, and made impervious to moisturealong their parts next the binding, the moistening-pad, an imper vious pad in contact with the same, and a sec-- sense 3 ond impervious pad for inclosing any desired 9. A sheet of paper or other material for number of the leaves between it and the moistuse in copying, rendered absorbent of moisture ening-pad, substantially as and for the purandtreated with an antiseptic, for the purposes pose shown. specified.

5 8. The method of preparing sheets of paper In testimony of which invention I hereunto 15 for use in copying, which consists in saturatset my hand.

I ing the sheets with a substance having affinity SAGER OHADWICK.

for moisture and treating it with an antiseptic W'it-nesses: to prevent mildew, substantially as and for FRANCIS S. BROWN,

10 the purpose described. \VILLIAM MGWVADE. 

